Another 10 cricketers are estimated to have made about $1 million in 2013 from Cricket Australia payments, ­personal sponsorship deals and ­lucrative overseas contracts in the Indian Premier League and elsewhere.

The advent of T20 cricket and ­augmentation of broadcast rights deals have pushed up salaries in 2013.

The decision to play two Ashes series and stage a national tour to India also boosted pay. The top-earning cricketers include Shane Watson ($6 million in gross earnings) and Test captain Michael Clarke ($5.5 million).

Retired Test players Ricky Ponting ($2 million) and Adam Gilchrist also make the list due to their continuing appeal to sponsors and participation at lower levels in Australia, England, India and the Caribbean.

But it’s Bogut who retains the title of the highest-paid sportsman for the third consecutive year.

His $16 million salary is the biggest of his nine-year career in America’s National Basketball Association.

Having spent most of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, Bogut was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2012 before singing a three-year ­contract extension with California’s Golden State in October 2013.

Slim pickings for sports

Kyrie Irving, another US-based ­basketball player who holds dual ­Australian-US citizenship, also makes the top five.

While the big American sports remain highly lucrative, Bogut’s ­manager and the managing director of One Management Group & Consulting Bruce Kaider says it’s getting harder for sportspeople in America and ­elsewhere to secure endorsements.

“A lot of athletes are looking for deals at the moment and are prepared to accept a lot less,” Kaider says.

One of the most in-demand athletes is golfer Adam Scott.

More than half of his $15.5 million in estimated gross salary comes from off-course earnings.

Scott’s sponsors include luxury brands Mercedes-Benz and Rolex as well as Japanese retail giant UniQlo.

Having assumed third place on the 2012 Sports Earners list with $10.5 million, his win at the US Masters helped lift him to second this year.

Mark Webber falls from second to third after an estimated $2 million drop in his gross earnings.

Webber has been near the top of the list but is likely to fall further after he quits Formula One.

Just two women make the list, tennis player Samantha Stosur, ranked number 17 in the world by the WTA, and surfer Stephanie Gilmour.